Validate Dot Tags

Yahoo Native ad platform now provides you with a Chrome extension that you can use to inspect, validate and troubleshoot Dot tags that you’ve instrumented on your website.

Dot tags enable you to communicate website and app events when you want to track performance and optimize your Yahoo native and display campaigns. Dot tags also enable you to leverage retargeting and advanced audience targeting for various Yahoo channels.

With a single pixel, you can manage multiple objectives, like creating new audiences for retargeting and tracking website conversions, mobile app installs and in-app user behavior.

Install Chrome Extension to Validate Dot Tags

To install the Chrome extension, follow these steps:

  1. Click Yahoo Dot Helper. This takes you to the Developer Tools section of the Chrome Web Store.

  2. Click the ADD TO CHROME button in the upper right corner to install the extension and add it to your Chrome browser.

Once you’ve installed Dot tags as part of your Dot instrumentation, this handy tool lets you verify if those tags are sending all the necessary parameters required by Dynamic Product Ads.

The tool performs a simple check on the required parameters, as shown below:

The required parameters for DPA are:

  • Pixel ID

  • Project ID

  • Event action (ea): acceptable values are ViewProduct, AddToCart and Purchase.

  • Product ID


If any of the required parameters are missing, the Dot Helper tool will display an error message data unavailable in red text for that parameter.

In addition to the required parameters, the extension also provides you with several other pieces of useful information:

  • URL: The full script URL, in case you wish to check and verify other parameters.

  • Load time: The time it takes for the pixel to load. This is valuable for understanding the pixel performance.

Note

Some websites send additional parameters through Dot: for example, gv (for transaction value), et (event type), el (event label), and so on. Since they are optional, the Dot Helper tool only displays these parameters when they exist. No error message is displayed if these parameters are not present.

Some common errors when performing Dot tag instrumentation include:

  • missing parameter values

  • incorrect spelling (for example, view_product rather than ViewProduct)

  • duplicate Dot tags on one page.

Important

If your e-commerce website installs more than 1 pixel for different campaigns, this instrumentation is acceptable. However, if the same pixel ID is fired multiple times on a single page, errors may occur.